135s stuck in Neutral

[Mike NL]

Was in a hurry after mowing out some fields and rushed the gear change while parking. Tractor is now stuck in neutral. I've seen a lot of posts about stuck in gear and have tried gently moving gears with a large screwdriver without success. When I try to move the gear lever back or forward (left or right position) it only moves about 1/2 cm.
This has happened twice before and I've managed to get it working again. I know his sort of thing usually just get's worse until it has to be fixed permanently, but with hay time approaching a quick fix would be handy.
Also any info about how much work the proper fix is would be helpful.

Mike.

 

[chuck41]

Hi Mike, Move the shifting forks, not the gears.
Is there tension on the driveline? on the level?
Shifting more "deliberate" is the best, don't try
to "slide" from one gear to the other.Our service
crew used to build up the shift levers with some
success but someone else will have to instruct
you in that. I am certain that you can move those
forks on the shift rails and get going. You may
need a small bar for leverage. Good luck, Chuck

 

[Mike NL]

Thanks for the tip, I'm a bit cautious about forcing the levers too much as they don't seen that strong. I'm usually very careful changing gear, but we all make mistakes when were in a hurry!
Noticed more free play than usual in the clutch pedal so looked in the inspection hole and saw that the colar could slide about an inch without tension. Started her to lift the mower and pushed her backwards into the shed. Could have saved my back, as when I engaged low ratio it went backwards.
Conclusion;- gear lever is stuck in neutral but gearbox is stuck in reverse.

 

[Mike NL]

Sorry I lied;- Gear lever goes to the right, but not to the left. So I need to move the far selector, but how do you get at it? I've tried a long screwdriver and assume it needs to be moved forwards.
I've tried quite a bit of force on the large cog, but it does'nt want to move. Am I being too careful ?
It's getting dark now so I'll leave it and hope the elves fix it during the night.

 

[DavidP,South Wales]

Hi Mike, just read your message. Hopefully the image of the 6-speed gearbox will be clear enough to see what's what. As you will probably know the end of the main gear lever moves back and forth across the slot created by the two left hand forks being adjacent. To engage reverse the right hand (middle) selector must be moved rearward. Pushing on the gear is unlikely to correct it as it is the rod that needs to be moved due to the detent and spring at the front. Each selector fork is held on the rod by a screw which is wired. I suspect that the screw has worked loose and allowed the selector to move more than it should do. This might happen if the detent spring is broken also. Another posibility is a broken selector fork. At the rear of the gear box is a bullet shaped plunger which prevents you engaging two gears together. This appears to be OK.
If nothing is loose or broken then you need the DavidP high-tech tool to slide the selector back. A screwdriver will not reach where its needed. I have used a piece of 1/2" (13mm) round rod for years to re-align the selectors. The straight rod should be bent about 4" (100mm) from the end so that it appears a little like a golf club. This will reach the selector and with moderate force push it back to neutral.
Using a flashlight you should be able to see the selectors.

Cheers

DavidP

 

[Anonymous-0]

Also, you can jack-up the rear of the tractor to take some of the drive-train strain off the system when making your manuvers. Slight tire movement might also help. Good luck!

 

[Mike NL]

Thanks for the very clear explanation, however the elves had done their work.- Or was it that I thought about it overnight and then tried a bigger pry bar ?!?
I managed to push the large gear forward and could then drive forwards, so I worked it back into neutral. After a bit of wiggling about the gear lever came loose. It now works and I've used the tractor again.
I am however concerned that you are right that somthing is a bit loose or worn and will only get worse. The Hi/Lo on this tractor has always been very stiff, but the gear lever was ok.
The tool you suggest sounds like a good idea as I don't like using too much force because it tends to accelerate the wear and tear.
I had a neighbour who used a hammer to fix everything and if that did'nt work he just used a bigger hammer.
I'll be extra careful changing gear, but if it happens again, I'll try the patent tool.